Catholics are facing off over the decision by San Francisco’s archbishop to deny Communion to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In general, traditionalists cheer and progressives fume. But count me as a progressive who agrees with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.

Pelosi, for all the good she has done on other policy, has served as field general of an abortion rights army. Sadly, her actions clearly meet the requirements of canon law for withholding Communion: obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin. For years, Archbishop Cordileone has reached out lovingly, but Pelosi has ghosted him. The archbishop is not weaponizing the Eucharist, but being a good steward of it.

Many who decry Archbishop Cordileone’s move appeal to Pope Francis, who has said he has never denied Communion to anyone. We are big fans of Pope Francis. But the key fact here is that the pope is not the Archbishop of San Francisco. There are certain decisions that a local bishop, not the pope, must make. According to the venerable Catholic principle of subsidiarity, those closest to the situation are usually in the best position to make the call.

Progressives also cite the highest source, declaring that Jesus embraced sinners. But Jesus made demands as he loved. He refused to condemn the woman at the well, yet ordered her to sin no more. It’s fair to say that Jesus would love Pelosi but would steer her away from engineering the death of unborn children, even if he had to get tough like he did with money changers, chasing them from the temple. Like it or not, Jesus passed such authority on to the church.

Even we progressives can see that a church with more steel is a good idea, and we all should thank Archbishop Cordileone. The problem is, even though abortion takes the most lives in modern times, we can’t be tough only on abortion backers.

Let’s show some spine to lawmakers who support state executions and who promote polluters who are spoiling our common home and thus killing the poor. For example, let’s at least float the notion of denying Communion to Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Catholics who, in addition to the above, have obstinately endangered immigrants and have persisted in paving the way for gun deaths.